The invention relates to a tiller and bow for a crossbow, and to a crossbow containing at least one of the aforementioned parts.
Crossbows having a bow (or prod) equipped with pulleys for a bowstring mounted on a tiller provided with a butt, trigger mechanism and aiming device, cocked by means of various cocking mechanisms, have been known for long time.
EP 0 132 017 B1 discloses a crossbow having a tiller which carries a prod and a bowstring arrestor, and having a release mechanism. Said prod is mounted for reciprocal movement relative to the tiller to facilitate cocking the bow. The crossbow is cocked with the use of a cocking mechanism comprising a crank lever which has one of its ends pivotally mounted to the stock by means of a stock pin and has its opposite end pivotally connected between the ends of a connecting lever by means of a crank pin. The “slider” of the cocking mechanism comprises a draw block to which one end of the connecting lever is mounted by means of a block pin. The connecting lever extends beyond the pivotal connection at the crank pin to provide a grip portion by which the cocking mechanism can be operated. To cock the bow the grip portion of the connecting lever is manipulated so that it is pushed away from the stock to pivot about the block pin. This action causes the draw block to slide along a forend tube towards an adjacent shoulder of the stock, whereby the grip and the bowstring are moved rearwardly together, as a unit. The crossbow stock is provided with a bowstring arrestor and release mechanism which automatically arrests the bowstring when it enters the mechanism. In this known cocking mechanism the crank lever is relatively short which limits possible maximum launch force.
EP 0 223 797 B1 discloses a crossbow equipped with an integrated drawing device which is supposed to facilitate fast cocking of the bowstring and placing said mechanism in a position where it does not hinder handling the crossbow and shooting. In this known solution the drawing device consists of two elements, a pusher and a draw lever rotatably mounted in a support of the crossbow to pivot about a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of said support. Said axis is situated in the front part of a metal insert between a bow and a bowstring. In its lower part the draw lever is provided with a longitudinally extending recess into which the pusher of lesser thickness engages and is hinged at a point of rotation at a certain distance from said axis. The recess is so dimensioned that it can completely receive the pusher in the inserted position of the drawing device, except for its free end. This free end exhibits an indentation which in the drawing operation can engage a complementary or positively formed projection of trigger slide. With a movement of draw lever from the rest position toward the back end of the crossbow trigger slide is pressed back until it engages a holder of the trigger device. To be able to guarantee a flawless functioning, the distance of said axis from the point of rotation must be a little more than half the draw travel of the trigger slide or of the bowstring. To be able to house the drawing device inconspicuously and without hindering the shooting operation after the drawing operation, the metal insert and the adjacent front part of the support are provided with corresponding longitudinal groove sections which are so dimensioned that the drawing device when folded back into the extended (rest) position, together with the pusher in the recess of the draw lever, is completely received by the support. To avoid an automatic release of the drawing device from the rest position the draw lever is locked in the support by a latch provided on the front end of support, which engages in a notch on the front end of the draw lever. To eliminate any movement of the projectile guide in relation to the aiming device in this known crossbow extremely precise dimensional tolerances must be strictly observed during its manufacturing, which significantly increases production costs. Due to the structure of the cocking system the drawing force of this known crossbow is relatively small.
To the best knowledge of the applicant, there is no relevant prior art as far as the inventive bow and trigger mechanism are concerned.